The Sharp Knife of a Short Life
by thelucydragneel
Summary: Natsu Dragneel had been able to do the unthinkable. Defeat the powerful. Gain the strength. Protect his nakama through anything and everything. But will Natsu be prepared to face the toughest battle yet- watching the one he loves die right before his eyes? *WARNING:FEELS*


Natsu Dragneel rushed through the crowds, pushing and shoving his way through . His heart was beating so fast it was almost as if it were to burst. The crowds filled with saddened murmurs and tears. He could hear the distant sobs from the center of the crowd, but it was impossible to see over so many people.

" Oh shit, shit, shit, shit," Natsu mumbled to hisself, shaking his head. His leg throbbed from the final battle, but nothing was stopping him from getting to the middle of the crowd. He gasped for breath, his weariness becoming an obstacle.

"Natsu!" A light voice exclaimed from the crowd.

Natsu turned around to find Wendy, her eyes puffy and her nose red. This couldn't be good. Natsu bent down, all of a sudden shaking.

"Wendy?" Natsu muttered, the pain from his leg increasing.

"Natsu, you need some rest," Wendy whispers softly, touching Natsu's arm, which was almost completely bandaged. "Go back-"

"What happened?" Natsu interrupted, having to speak through gritted teeth. "What the hell happened? Why did no one tell me? I could've stopped-"

"Natsu.." Wendy said, softly. "Even with your immense power, no one can stop death."

Everything sudden froze at that one word: death.

Death

Oh shit

Death

Shit shit shit

Death

No..

"Wendy, wha-"

Wendy interrupted the statement, with an outburst of tears. She slung both her arms around Natsu's. He could feel the tears drip onto his neck.

"Wendy," Gajeel's voice said behind her.

Wendy pushed away from Natsu, tears still forming in her eyes. She nodded towards Gajeel. "Let's go."

"Wh-" Natsu began.

"Natsu," Gajeel mumbled. "This is probably something you wanna see for yourself."

Natsu grimaced, watching Gajeel and Wendy disappear from the crowd. The center of the crowd seemed nearer, he could make out armor, which had to be Erza's. All of a sudden, his injuries weren't anything compared to his nervousness. Finally, after hurriedly running into people, mumbling apologies, he had made it to the center.

Erza looked up sadly at him, her eyes glistened with fresh tears. It was one of the rare occasions he had seen Erza cry. The sun began to disappear, and heavy rain rolled in at the instant. Juvia frowned from beside Erza.

"Juvia cannot help it," Juvia sighed.

"What's going on?" Natsu demanded, clenching his fists.

Gray, who was bending over someone, along with Loke grimaced, their faces as it they had just been bitten by poisonous snake. Gray shook his head, bitterly.

"I'm sorry you had to be the last to know, Natsu," Erza sighed. "You were recovering in the room. We thought your injury was the final blow. But I guess we were wrong."

"What do you mean?" Natsu was unable to see the body that Gray and Loke bent over.

"There was one last battle after yours," Erza explained, her voice stiff. "And no one was here to protect us.. Except.."

Erza looked past Gray and Loke, her eyes quickly glanced away, as if it were too painful to look. "..Lucy."

The hard reality finally hit him. The impact worst than any before. He felt as if the motion sickness was a treat compared to his feeling right now. Gray and Loke slowly moved away from the body, their faces dirty and their tears running down their face.

Natsu could hardly find the strength to walk over to the body. His whole body shook, vigorously. He took steps, slowly and one at a time. With each step, reality became too harsh. He dropped on his knees next to the body, tears streaming down his face.

Lucy layyed there, her face so peaceful, it was almost as if she were sleeping. Her heart was beating, yet so slow and so soft it was near impossible to tell the difference. Natsu clenched her hand with his, bringing it up to his watery eyes.

So many emotions began to swirl through his mind.

Sadness became anger too quickly. How could she take it on by herself? How could she put her life in danger? How could she leave us like this?

... Me like this.

"Natsu," her voice croaked, weakly.

"Lucy.." Natsu bent over her, only inches away from her face. "Lucy speak to me.."

"Natsu, this maybe it." Lucy blinked, opening her eyes to stare into Natsu's. "I may have fought my final battle.."

"No, Lucy-"

".. But at least I won it, right?" Lucy smiled, her smile bittersweet.

"Lucy.." Natsu had suddenly lost control of his body. He was shaking too hard to even speak correctly. "You aren't done.. No... No! Damn, I should've been there. It's my fault your dying-"

"Oh, Natsu," Lucy grinned. "It's your fault I lived the long. You never failed to save me. So this time I saved you."

"Lucy!" Natsu didn't realize he was shouting. "Damnit! LUCY! Don't you dare leave me. Not now. Not anytime soon."

"Natsu, I-" Lucy's eyes watered with new tears. "...It's over."

"It can't be!" Natsu scooped up Lucy head from the hard ground and onto his lap. "Lucy, you don't understand, you can't go."

"Natsu.."

"I'm in love with you," Natsu whispered, his voice suddenly soft. "There were so many things we still had to do. So many things I had to say. So many things that are left unfinished."

There was no reply. Lucy's expression was unreadable. Her lips formed to say what she had been dying to say for a long time,

"I love you."

One moment they stared into each others eyes, not another word slipping out of each others mouth. And the next their space in between their lips had disappeared. Natsu crashed his lips onto Lucy's, pulling her up, swiftly. She felt so cold and lifeless, but her lips were warm and comforting. He never wanted this moment to end.

Lucy pulled away, slowly. She reached for his hand one last time, muttering out her last words,

"Promise you won't forget about me, Nakama?" Her eyes slowly closed, her body still. "Thank you for.. Everything. Without you there wouldn't be any of this. Thank You.."

She croaked her final word, "Natsu."

...

This must be heaven, Lucy thought, I'm joining my mother up here

The bright light was almost blinding, but completely bareable. She blinked a few more times, trying to make her vision clearer.

Her eyes fluttered open. She was in a bright white room, completely empty except the bed she was laying in. She glanced around, confused.

"This can't be heaven," Lucy muttered. She looked down to find her body without a scratch and her clothes without a single tear. "Or maybe this is.."

The door flew open. Lucy watched as two figures came into the room, slowly. Natsu and Happy.

"Woah, Heaven is sure ironic," Lucy sighed. "What are you doing up here?"

"Are you sure Lucy didn't bump her head on the way here?" Happy asked Natsu, who was grinning.

"Lucy, you aren't dead," Natsu sat beside her, holding his hand in hers. "I don't know what happened, but the second your heart stopped beating, you began glowing.."

Lucy blinked.

"And all of a sudden you were back to normal," Natsu explained. "All the injuries had been taken away and your clothes were back to normal.. But you- you're heart had started up again. Slowly, but it was still a heartbeat. We ran you over the the nearest healer. You're going to be fine, Lucy."

"Natsu, I can't believe you saved me once again," Lucy softly stroked Natsu's cheek.

"What do you mean?" Natsu replied, putting one arm around Lucy. "I didn't do anything."

She chuckled. "It's rare for this magic to ever really happen," Lucy said. "But there's this special force, no one can explain it. But no one needs to explain it. But you wouldn't let go. You were my hope, Natsu. I thought I wanted to die- for Fairy Tail. But you're hope saved me. Your unattachable love did."

"I could never let you go so easily," Natsu replied, his cheeks flushed.

"Good," Lucy placed her arms around Natsu's neck, pulling him closer. "Then don't."

Their lips met again, but this time they had no intention of letting go.


End file.
